New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo indicated he would reopen parts of New York at different times as the state tries to recover from a coronavirus outbreak.
“We’re going to make reopening decisions on a regional basis based on that region’s facts and circumstances,” he said during a daily coronavirus. “Just like some states will reopen before other states because they have a different circumstance when it comes to Covid and their status with Covid, it’s also true across the state.”
Cuomo has been holding his daily briefings in Albany, N.Y., but this one was held in Buffalo. The governor said that the state will look at how each county was being impacted differently in order to make decisions about reopening. Northern New York has not been hit nearly has hard as New York City, where over 134,000 confirmed cases have been reported.
“[The] North Country has a totally different situation than New York City,” Cuomo said. “Central New York has a different situation. We operate as one state but we also have to understand variations, and you do want to get this economy open as soon as possible.”
It’s unclear when the reopenings will begin taking place, but Cuomo’s decision to go with regional variance is expected to get positive reviews from leaders outside the New York City area.
“The economic impact … has taken an extraordinary toll on an already struggling Upstate economy,” Unshackle Upstate Executive Director Michael Kracker said in a statement. “A one-size-fits-all strategy is simply not the best fit for Upstate New York.”
